Buried In The Desert Sands: Alternate Ending
by Green Eyed Gerudo
Summary: Upon reviewer-request, I have written a one-shot alternate ending to my story "Buried In The Desert Sands". Before reading this, I'd highly recommend that you read my previously mentioned story if you haven't already for this story to make the least bit of sense.


**Author's Note: Right, so this is the reviewer-requested alternate ending of my story "Buried In The Desert Sands". People kept mentioning to me through reviews and PM's that they wanted to see what WOULD have happened…or what COULD have been if Ganondorf had snapped out of his evilness and became a good husband and father to Nabooru and Nalissa. So here's my take on what would've happened had Ganondorf not carried out his evil plans.**

**I hope you guys enjoy it. :)**

**Disclaimer: Link, Zelda, Navi, the Gerudos, the Gerudo Fortress, Hyrule, Nabooru and Ganondorf all belong to Nintendo. The only thing that belongs to me are any OC's that appear, namely Nalissa, Katara, Kali, Natari, Shandi, Adiya, Travana, Janina, Adara, Batul, Brandon and Gandon. Anything related to the Legend of Zelda series or anything mentioned in this story that is included in the game does not belong to me.**

"Sire, urgent news!" a girl called from the other side of the door.

"Aggh! Come in, Travana." Ganondorf said, annoyed. He finally let go of Katara, causing her to run over to a sobbing Kali and hug her consolingly. The girl, Travana, stared in surprise at the two women and at the dead body of Janina, but she almost immediately turned her attention to Ganondorf.

"Sorry Sire, but I just got news that Link has defeated the witches and that he somehow cured the great Nabooru of her brainwashing. There is no sign of her at the temple. Now the boy is headed to the Temple of Time."

"Arrgghhh!" Ganondorf screamed, punching a hole in the wall. "Travana, have that body picked up and have these two locked up!" he quickly stormed out.

XXX

Nalissa ran across Hyrule Field as fast as her small legs could carry her.

"I *pant* should have *pant, pant* never let Kat *pant* talk me…into…*big breath* into…staying at the ranch!" Nalissa shouted during her frantic run.

She had decided shortly after Katara left her in the care of the ranchers that she couldn't let Katara face the wrath of Ganon alone, so she'd snuck away after the nice ranch girl had fallen asleep. Nalissa had a gut feeling that something was going to go terribly wrong.

By now, the whole fortress had probably gotten word of Nalissa's disappearance, and if they caught Katara reentering the fortress, that would look very suspicious.

Nalissa finally made it to the fortress, where she pushed past Gerudos left and right as they shouted things like "Nali!" and "Where've you been?"

Just as Nalissa turned the corner, she crashed straight into Ganondorf himself.

"Oomph!" Nalissa shouted as she fell backwards. She looked up at her father, whose previously angry expression had softened considerably since he noticed her.

"Nali?" he asked, helping her to her feet. "Where were you?"

"Daddy, please stop!" she shouted, tears in her hazel eyes. "Daddy, whatever you're planning, please stop! Don't do this! And don't hurt Kat! She had nothing to do with this! Please Daddy!" she shouted, sobbing. Ganondorf sighed and grabbed her hand, leading her away from the crowd of Gerudos, who were observing the conversation with interest.

"Nali, listen. I'm doing this for you…for _us_…and for our people. Don't you wish for our oppression to finally cease once and for all? What about the harsh conditions of the desert? Remember how you said you loved the grass? What if I could give you lush green fields of grass to roam in for the rest of your life? And what of my palace in Hyrule? Did you not enjoy that? You said yourself how much you liked that. Nali, I can give you whatever your sweet little heart desires for the rest of your days. We'll have bountiful food, alliances with other nations, and we won't have to worry about the Gerudo race dying out one day. Don't you want all that?" Nalissa looked up at him with a tear-streaked face.

"Of course, Daddy." She whimpered. Ganondorf gave a small smile, rubbing her back comfortingly. Nalissa looked up at him again, her eyes now filled with a fierce look of determination. "But not like this." Ganondorf's smile faded as he stared at her. "Daddy, I love you. I don't want to see you do this. If anything, you…" the girl sighed. "If we're doomed to die out anyway, then you're bringing the Gerudo race to a close quicker,." A few Gerudos gasped and Ganondorf looked shocked. "We don't need this. The Gerudos have been getting along fine with everything, curse and all. We've…we've endured it. We've learned to accept it. We're accustomed to it. It may be too late for alliances now due to the horrors you've unleashed onto the land. And as for me, well…I don't want any of that. Yes, it would be nice to always feel the grass under my feet, not the hot sand…it'd be nice to always have food and not worry about where our next meal is coming from…it'd even be nice if we were to mend our curse." Nalissa paused. She had been addressing not only her father, but also the entire crowd of Gerudos encircling them. "But all I want – more than _anything_ – is for my daddy to be here for me all the time. To support me, raise me, teach me things, and to love me. I want you there to train me and congratulate me when I pass my Rite of Passage at the Gerudo training grounds. I want for you to be there when I finally get my Elite uniform. I want you to get to know your granddaughter, or granddaughters. And I want them to know their grandfather, and what a special man he was. What a great king he was. So that when your time passes, people will have nothing but good things to say about you. I love you, Daddy. Please don't carry on like this. If you do this…you're going to get yourself killed." Each Gerudo was silent.

Ganondorf was staring at his feet.

Nalissa's eyes burned with determination, pleading silently with the Goddess to let her father see the light.

"I see." Ganondorf said finally, causing Nalissa to look up hopefully.

Had she actually gotten through to him?

"I had thought…" his voice trailed off as he leaned forward, clutching his head in pain.

"Daddy?" Nalissa asked. Ganondorf finally removed his hand from his face, his expression angry.

"I had thought you were smarter than your pathetic mother, but it turns out you are just like her." He said. Nalissa gasped in surprise. "And I will hear no more of your nonsense!" he punched the ground, causing a large earthquake. Nalissa plus every Gerudo in the vicinity went flying from the impact.

As Nalissa fell to the floor roughly, she looked up at her father with tears in her eyes again.

"I've had enough of this! I am off to kill the Hero of Time once and for all and claim the throne that is rightfully mine!" with that, he teleported away.

Nalissa just sat there in the sand, tears pouring down her bronze face as she stared at the ground.

It couldn't be so.

Ganondorf just _had_ to love her deep down. She'd seen it in his eyes plenty of times. She'd even seen it just now, before he'd grabbed his head in pain.

_Wait a minute…_

Nalissa thought.

_It's as if something is messing with his head._

Remembering when Katara met her at the king's personal library earlier that night, Nalissa shot up suddenly and darted for the royal chambers.

XXX

As Ganondorf's fingers graced the large organ's keys, he heard the door slam from behind.

Knowing the Hero had arrived (judging on how his Triforce piece reacted), he finished the song quickly, then paused. With his back to the Hero, he said, "The Triforce parts are resonating…they are combining into one again…the two Triforce parts that I could not capture on that day seven years ago…I didn't expect they would be hidden within you two!"

XXX

Nalissa looked up from the book in shock.

It was the book Katara had been reading earlier…the page had still been open to "brainwashing".

"If the person is snapped out of their brainwashed state-or if they start remembering old feelings and regrets-they will feel an intense pain in their head." Nalissa read. "Another yet less often proven method of removing someone from their brainwashed state is to have them witness something that in their original state of mind would have caused them unbearable pain." Nalissa closed the book, standing up suddenly. "I know what I must do."

XXX

Ganondorf stood, his back still facing the Hero.

"…And now, finally, all the Triforce parts have gathered here!"

XXX

Nalissa urged Comet to go faster. Once they reached the moat and broken drawbridge, the horse refused to go further. Nalissa leaped off of him, twisting her ankle as she landed. Grimacing but otherwise ignoring the pain, she leaped over the broken drawbridge, darted past the ReDeads by staying as far away from them as possible, and made her way to her father's dark version of Hyrule castle. She looked up, amazed at all the piles of human bones and the large pit of lava surrounding the palace.

Shaking the disturbing pictures from her head, she determinedly pressed on, crossing the rainbow bridge and entering Ganon's lair.

XXX

Ganondorf flipped around to smirk at the Hero.

"These toys are too much for you!" he shouted at him. His Triforce of Power burned brightly. "I command you to return them to me!"

Ganondorf threw a dark spell at Link, and then hovered up into the air, prepared for the epic battle that was soon to come.

XXX

"Come on, Brother!" Darunia cried as they watched Link. Everyone cheered when Link thrust the Master Sword at Ganondorf, causing him to scream in pain. His castle ceiling and walls crumbled as he fell to the floor, finally defeated. The sages watched as Zelda was released from her crystal prison.

"Ganondorf…pitiful man." Zelda spat.

"I couldn't agree more!" Ruto said.

"Without a strong, righteous mind, he could not control the power of the gods." Nabooru nodded, letting everything sink in. So had the Triforce of Power turned Ganondorf into a heartless demon, or was he always this way? Had this man – who had become unarguably Hyrule's best yet most dangerous dark sorcerer, had caused massive destruction, ruined countless people's lives, and tore numerous families apart – ever had genuine feelings? Or had he always been wicked and sadistic enough to cause this amount of pain on Hyrule, just never had the power to do it until he actually received the Triforce of Power?

All these thoughts went through Nabooru's head, but her main thought was the one that seemed to bother her the most: had the old Ganondorf, the one she had met at sixteen, the one who had made her feel like the luckiest woman alive, the one she had laughed with, the one who had comforted her when she cried…had he loved her? Had he had genuine feelings for her when they first met, up until the point he became power hungry and began his quest for the Triforce? Or had he just strung her along? If he had loved her, could Nabooru have saved him? Could she have possibly changed his mind? Perhaps none of this would have ever happened if she had been able to change his mind. Maybe right now they could be holding hands lovingly in the Gerudo Royal Chambers, and be smiling proudly at their eight year-old daughter Nalissa, who was undoubtedly a fierce purple at her young age…

XXX

Just as Nalissa neared her way to the room with the organ, she felt the walls and ceiling rumbling. Then it stopped.

Nalissa pressed on even faster, hoping she wasn't too late.

XXX

When Nalissa finally neared the top, she realized that the walls and ceiling of this room were gone.

It was then she noticed two figures: a blonde boy who wore odd green clothes and a hat, and a blonde woman with very fancy clothing. A blue fairy fluttered around their heads excitedly.

As Nalissa got closer, she saw her father's figure – unmoving and face down on the floor…his cape was tattered and there was a pool of blood by his stomach.

Nalissa fell to her knees.

"No…" she breathed.

XXX

As Nabooru pondered, she blinked in surprise at the Sage of Light, Rauru. He was staring at her with an odd look. Nabooru suddenly became aware of the trails of tears streaking each side of her face. Embarrassed, Nabooru frantically began to wipe the tears off of her face. Rauru gently pulled her hands away from her face and smiled at her comfortingly.

"It's alright. I understand how difficult this must be for you, Spirit." He whispered. Nabooru smiled in return. His little nickname for her reminded her of her status. She was Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit, and her first and foremost duty was to protect her part of Hyrule – the desert – from opposing forces, like Ganondorf, who she could see from the magic orb. She smiled at all of her friends again, whom Rauru referred to judging by their temple and home: Shadow, Fire, Water, and Forest.

Her smile faded as a low rumbling sound emitted from the magic orb. The rumbling got louder and louder, and soon the castle Link and Zelda were at was shaking uncontrollably.

"What's going on?" Saria shouted.

"Ganondorf is using his last breath to crush Link and the princess within the ruins of the tower." Impa hissed, glaring at the orb.

XXX

As Nalissa sobbed mournfully, the castle began shaking violently.

Finally, the two blondes took notice of the little girl.

"I was too late..." She whispered.

The woman looked at Nalissa consolingly then got down on her knees to speak to her.

"Listen to me Sweetie, the castle is going to collapse in on itself. We all need to hurry and escape, or we'll be crushed."

"I…I don't care!" Nalissa shouted, standing up and pushing the lady's hands off her arms. "He was…my dad." The woman looked in shock, probably previously unaware that the evil king had a daughter.

"I'm sorry." Said the boy. Nalissa looked up at him sadly. "Please, come with us. We'll keep you safe." Nalissa looked over at her father's lifeless body one last time, sighed, and then nodded. The boy sighed in relief and picked the girl up. Nalissa wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Please follow me!" the woman shouted. The boy nodded and followed her quickly, clutching little Nalissa tightly.

XXX

Nabooru's eyes widened suddenly.

This Gerudo girl had appeared out of nowhere…then had told Link and Zelda that Ganondorf had been her father.

"NALISSA!" Nabooru shrieked, causing all of the sages to look over at her. "That's my daughter!" she shouted, on the brink of tears.

"Don't worry, Spirit…I'm sure Link and Zelda will be able to get her out of the castle safely." Rauru said calmly.

"But…"

"Oh no!" Ruto shouted, staring at the orb.

Fire had surrounded Zelda, now two Stalfos were attacking Link.

Link put the girl down in the corner of the room and shouted "Nayru's Love!" encasing the girl in a protective shield as he fought the two Stalfos.

"See?" Saria said comfortingly. "Link knows what he's doing." She smiled.

Nabooru sighed and turned to watch the battle anxiously.

XXX

After that, Link continued carrying Nalissa as Zelda continued to magically open barred doors along the way, all the while avoiding falling and burning chunks of ceiling.

At the end, a ReDead stared at them menacingly.

"ReDead!" Nalissa shrieked, terrified due to her previous experience with the creatures.

"Zelda," Link said, turning and handing Nalissa to her. Link took out his Longshot and grappled onto the ReDead, causing him to launch towards it and also causing it to become momentarily paralyzed.

"Come on!" Link shouted. Zelda ran as fast as her long dress would allow her to, Nalissa clutching her tightly.

Zelda put the girl down and opened the last door. All three people ran out just in time to turn and see the castle collapse in on itself.

After the ordeal, everything was silent except the howling winds and Nalissa's quiet sobbing.

Words were exchanged between the two, but Nalissa wasn't listening.

She began to walk towards the pile of rubble, knowing her father's body had been crushed in it.

Suddenly there was a loud bang, causing Link to unsheathe his sword and walk towards the rubble cautiously.

Suddenly something shot up from the rubble, causing chunks of rock to fly. One hit Nalissa in the head, sending the poor girl flying and knocking her unconscious.

XXX

After watching her daughter get knocked unconscious and witnessing Ganondorf transform into a hideous beast, Nabooru decided she could take no more.

She stood up and prepared to teleport herself out of the Chamber of Sages.

"Where are you going?" Ruto demanded.

"Hey, we need you!" Darunia shouted.

"I'm sorry, but that's my daughter there and she's in danger! I may not have been there to protect her for the past seven years, but I'm not letting that happen again!" Rauru nodded.

"Very well. Go, Child." Nabooru nodded and focused her newly discovered powers.

XXX

When Nalissa came to, she saw Link fighting a huge beast with giant swords.

Link got knocked to the floor. The beast towered over him.

"Is that…?" Nalissa whispered. She gasped when she saw a faint Triforce mark on the back of the beast's large hand.

The beast swung the giant knife backwards, preparing to bring it forward. Link braced himself for a painful death.

"Daddy! Stop!" Nalissa screamed as she darted forward.

Just as the knife came down, it was as if the beast tried to stop it, releasing some pressure from the swing, but not enough to stop it in time.

The blade sliced across the girl's stomach. Nalissa stopped in surprise, looking down in shock at the large gash. Immense pain began to overtake the poor girl as she fell to the floor.

The fire encircling the platform ceased. Zelda and Link both darted over to the girl.

Her vision became blurry, and the last thing she heard was a gruff, familiar voice shout "NALISSA!" before her world faded to black.

XXX

The beast immediately de-transformed, back into Ganondorf.

An immense pain clouded his head, and the next thing he saw was his daughter bleeding out from a gash _he'd_ created.

"Nalissa!" he shouted. The girl peered at him through misty eyes, and seemed to slightly smile victoriously before going completely limp.

Ganondorf fell to his knees, brushing the girl's face gently with his fingers.

"Nalissa! Oh…" he cried, genuine tears pouring from his golden eyes for the first time in a long while. "Oh…dear Din! What have I done? Goddess DAMN IT!" he shrieked, sobbing mournfully. He pulled her body close to him, hugging it tightly. "I love you." He whispered through sobs.

Suddenly the Gerudo king felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He pulled away from Nalissa to see it was the princess. She looked at him tearfully before reaching into her pouch and pulling out…

…A bottled fairy.

Ganondorf watched as she released the fairy. The fairy encircled the lifeless girl's body before disappearing with a faint giggle.

Ganondorf watched unblinkingly, praying the fairy hadn't come too late. That had been known to happen before. If the fairy couldn't help the victim before the spirit left the body, then it wouldn't work…

…When nothing happened, Ganondorf let out a shaky sigh, then put his forehead against Nalissa's.

"Mmm…" a voice moaned. Ganondorf felt a tiny hand on his cheek.

He opened his eyes to see Nalissa blink at him tiredly, as if her energy was drained.

"Daddy?" she murmured. Ganondorf laughed slightly, tears staining his cheeks once more.

"Oh Nalissa…" he hugged her tightly. Nalissa was confused for a minute, but then smiled upon the realization that his curse had been broken.

Nalissa hugged him back, tears rolling down her little cheeks.

"I love you Nali…"

"I love you too, Daddy." She responded, pulling away to smile at him.

"NALISSA!" shouted a new voice.

Everyone turned to see in shock as a Gerudo woman in white kneeled down to inspect the little girl.

"You're bleeding…" she whispered.

"It's dry. It's not coming from an open wound. A fairy healed her up." Link explained.

"Nabooru…" Ganondorf whispered. Nabooru ignored him and touched her daughter's cheek with her hand.

"M-Mommy?" Nalissa whispered. Tears fell from Nabooru's eyes, and she nodded happily.

"Yes Sweetie. I'm your mother." Nalissa smiled and put her arms around her.

"Mommy…"

Everyone watched the heartfelt scene happily.

After a moment, Ganondorf interjected.

"Nabooru, please listen…"

"I have nothing to say to you." She responded shortly, refusing to even look at him directly.

"Nabooru," Zelda interjected. "He was cursed. It's all over now. The Triforce pieces have even vanished."

Ganondorf checked the back of his hand to be sure. Sure enough, the piece was gone.

Nabooru finally made eye contact with him, her expression sad.

"Do you have any idea how much pain you have caused me?"

"I know." Ganondorf replied.

"How much shame you've brought upon our entire tribe?"

"I know."

"How you completely tore our family apart and destroyed an entire nation?"

"Yes, I know." He sighed ashamedly.

Nabooru's eyes filled with tears.

"Ganon, listen to me…I will always love you deep down. But you can't just expect everything to mend. You've made way too much of a mess of things. Too many lives have been ruined. You don't get a second chance at life. It's not like we can all just reset time and start from scratch."

Ganondorf stared down ashamedly.

"Or can we?" everyone stared over at the princess confusedly.

She grinned slightly and turned to Link.

"Link, give the ocarina to me. As a sage, I can return you all to your original time with it. We can all 'start from scratch'." The princess smiled at Nabooru. Nabooru turned to Ganondorf.

"Nabooru, listen. I love you so much. You're the only woman for me, and if those witches hadn't manipulated my mind, then none of this would have ever happened. I know the pain you've felt due to all this is immeasurable, but if you just give me the chance, let's just all try to mend this broken family. Please."

"You have a lot to make up to us." Nabooru said.

"Yes, I know…and I will. I swear it to the Goddess." Ganondorf pulled her closer suddenly, causing her to gasp in surprise. "I love you, and I swear I will never let you forget that again. You have _no_ idea how much I love you, my desert queen." With that, he kissed her passionately. After a minute, he pulled away to see happy tears in her copper eyes.

"Ganon…I love you too." She whispered, sobbing now.

Nalissa joined in on their hug. Both parents smiled and kissed her head simultaneously, hugging her tightly as if they never wanted to let go.

Zelda and Link smiled at them.

"Go home; home, where you are supposed to be…the way you are supposed to be." Zelda said. With that, she raised the blue clay instrument to her lips.

A sweet melody filled the air and everyone was transported back in time exactly seven years.

XXX

70 Years Later…

The Gerudo king sighed as he heard loud knocking on his door.

Being 100 years old, his once chiseled face was now adorned with wrinkles, he had grown a beard, and his hair was a light gray/white color.

He looked very tired under his golden eyes.

"Enter," he called.

In stepped a young Gerudo – possibly in her late 20's – in a green uniform.

"Yes, what is it Shandi?" Ganondorf asked her. Shandi bowed respectfully.

"Sorry to disturb you Sire, but Ladies Adara and Batul would like a decision immediately…um, regarding Miss Adiya." Ganondorf tapped his chin.

"Adiya…oh, the convict who tried to betray us?"

"That is correct, Sire."

"Leave the decision to Adara and Batul. That _is_ their job, after all." The king sighed, rubbing his temples tiredly.

"But Sire, they said they want to leave the decision to the _king_." She said, implying with her eyes and tone who she was talking about. "They're hoping for execution."

Ganondorf sighed, chewing his nail subconsciously as he stared at the floor. Finally he addressed the young Green.

"Give her 30 lashes and have her banished to Termina." Shandi stared in shock. "You may go inform Batul and Adara of my decision."

The girl continued to stare in amazement before bowing and exiting.

Ganondorf sighed and slumped in his throne, knowing he'd gotten quite soft over the years.

Decades ago, he would have seen to it the woman was immediately put to death, and he'd likely even do it himself.

Not two minutes after the young Gerudo had left, another Gerudo entered. This one was in an Elite uniform, and she was very pregnant.

Ganondorf smiled at her.

"Natari." He greeted her. Natari smiled and hugged the elder king.

"Hi Grandpa." She said, pulling away and smiling. "Another hard day of being king?"

"You have no idea." He sighed, smiling at her pregnant belly. "So when do the midwives think I'm going to be a great grandfather?"

"The baby is due any day now." Natari responded. She placed Ganondorf's hand on her abdomen. "Feel it kicking?"

"Wow." Ganondorf said in amazement, grinning. "She's going to be a fierce Elite one day. Just like her mother, grandmother…even her great-grandmother."

Ganondorf sighed sadly at the thought of the late Nabooru and Nalissa. Natari was Nalissa's only daughter. Nalissa had her when she was 31, and Natari was now 40.

Ganondorf had gotten a lot of disapproval over the years for not "doing his race any good" as they called it, seeing as he refused this time around to sleep around with the other women so they could reproduce. Even after Nabooru passed away fifteen years ago, he still refused to sleep with anyone else because he'd feel like he'd be betraying Nabooru's memory. In his mind, they were still together…and they would still be together in the Sacred Realm.

After Nabooru died in her sleep at the age of 74, it was Nalissa and Natari who kept him going strong. Nalissa died six years after Nabooru had of unknown causes. Although extremely depressed, Natari helped him get through it. He loved his granddaughter very much.

Anyway, due to not reproducing, Gerudos began having kids much older than they used to, hence Nalissa being 31 at birthing and now Natari being 40. Gerudos were also starting to keep lovers, and some even got married.

Ganondorf always kept tabs on each pregnant Gerudo since he'd turned 100 two weeks before. Although he loved Natari and couldn't wait to meet her unborn daughter, deep down, he kind of wished for the next king to be born. The new king would be born upon Ganondorf's death, as was part of their curse.

He just felt it was his time.

He wanted to be reunited with his girls…Nabooru and Nalissa.

Natari smiled, snapping him out of his gloomy thoughts.

"Maybe, since you're 100 now…it'll be a boy." Ganondorf smiled slightly and shook his head.

"I would not wish that upon my descendant." He said. "It's a tough responsibility being a king of a race that is doomed to become extinct, you know. I wouldn't wish the responsibility on anybody, let alone my great-grandchild." Ganondorf pulled Natari closer to him. "And just in case it's a male, promise me one thing." Natari listened intently. "Promise you and Brandon will do your best with him. Always be there for him. My mother died when I was very young, so I had no adult guidance…which probably caused me to be easily led astray by the witches. Natari, I know you will be a great mother. He or she is going to love you to death, and as long as you're there for him as long as possible, his duties as king won't overpower his heart."

"Of course, Grandpa." Natari said. "Of course we'll be there for him."

Natari knew everything that had happened in the "alternate timeline" as they called it…the timeline Princess Zelda reset. The timeline Ganondorf was evil and ripped apart not only his family, but his race and also all of Hyrule. Thankfully, after the princess's spell, things really _had_ mended. Nabooru had told him so many times how proud she was of him. Some people – people who wished to remember – remembered, while people who didn't wish to didn't remember. Nalissa was so young, she didn't remember anything up until she was 8, the time that all of the events that had happened in the alternate timeline to snap Ganondorf out of his brainwashing would have taken place. It was a lot for the girl to take in at one time, and she cried many nights after.

Just before she died, Nalissa told Ganondorf these exact words, "Daddy, I am so proud of you. You're the best king in the world, and you're an even better father and you were an amazing husband to Mom."

Those were the last words Ganondorf heard her speak before she was declared dead the next day. Up until 62 years of age, Nalissa always called Ganondorf "Daddy".

The Gerudo tribe had been doing better because this time around, the king had actually befriended Ganondorf, and even when the king passed on and Link and Zelda took over as king and queen, they continued the alliance with the Gerudo, so many less Gerudos were starving and were better able to afford healthcare so when someone was sick with the flu, it wasn't the end of the world anymore. Now they had all sorts of potions and such to help heal people.

"Grandpa, are you alright?" Natari interrupted his thoughts. Ganondorf nodded.

"Yes Sweetheart," he told her, kissing her forehead. "Why don't you get back to your husband? It's quite late."

"Sure thing." She said, standing up. As she began walking, she stopped to turn around and smile. "And Grandpa? I haven't yet thought of a name for her if it's a girl…but I do know what I'd call him if he were to be a boy." Ganondorf cocked his head.

"Yes? What?"

Natari smiled really big.

"Gandon." Ganondorf smiled, knowing she was mixing his name – Ganon – with her husband's name, Brandon.

Just as Natari herself had been named for four people: Nabooru/Nalissa, Katara, and Kali – who had become close friends with Nabooru and Katara. She'd even been like a second mom to Nalissa her entire life.

"You're sweet." He told her. "I love you."

"Love you too." Natari skipped over to his throne and kissed his cheek.

XXX

Ganondorf crawled into his large bed that night, staring at the empty space where Nabooru would usually lie.

"_Nabooru, listen. I love you so much. You're the only woman for me, and if those witches hadn't manipulated my mind, then none of this would have ever happened. I know the pain you've felt due to all this is immeasurable, but if you just give me the chance, let's just all try to mend this broken family. Please."_

"_You have a lot to make up to us." Nabooru said._

"_Yes, I know…and I will. I swear it to the Goddess." Ganondorf pulled her closer suddenly, causing her to gasp in surprise. "I love you, and I swear I will never let you forget that again. You have no idea how much I love you, my desert queen." With that, he kissed her passionately. After a minute, he pulled away to see happy tears in her copper eyes._

"_Ganon…I love you too." She whispered, sobbing now._

_Nalissa joined in on their hug. Both parents smiled and kissed her head simultaneously, hugging her tightly as if they never wanted to let go._

Ganondorf smiled sadly as he thought back on that day.

In his mind he _had_ proven to his two favorite girls just how much he loved them…at least he hoped he had. He'd tried his hardest. And though it was true they argued from time to time, it was no more often than any other normal family, and they always made up no matter what.

Nabooru even told him years later how he had made her the happiest woman alive and he was the best daddy she could ever ask for Nalissa to have.

"…_All I want – more than anything – is for my daddy to be here for me all the time. To support me, raise me, teach me things, and to love me. I want you there to train me and congratulate me when I pass my Rite of Passage at the Gerudo training grounds. I want for you to be there when I finally get my Elite uniform. I want you to get to know your granddaughter, or granddaughters. And I want them to know their grandfather, and what a special man he was. What a great king he was. So that when your time passes, people will have nothing but good things to say about you. I love you, Daddy."_

Nalissa's words rang through his head clear as day…as if it had only been yesterday. But it had been 63 years…or 70, depending on whether you were counting from that timeline or from the reset timeline.

Time travel was indeed confusing, but nonetheless, he pushed his confused thoughts aside and focused on his memories of Nalissa and Nabooru.

He _had_ been there to help train her. He made it to every single one of her birthdays up until her very last one. He _was_ there waiting anxiously for her along with Nabooru to congratulate her as she passed her Rite of Passage in the training grounds at the young age of 12. He _was_ there to witness her receiving her Elite uniform at the age of 13…the youngest Elite in history. He _had_ gotten to know his only granddaughter Natari, and she loved him very much ever since she'd been a child.

And judging by what Natari always told him, she _did_ believe he was a great king and he was sure she'd tell her unborn child stories and memories of him too.

Ganondorf suddenly began to feel very strange.

He sat up and began to experience a violent coughing fit.

He rolled over onto his side, clutching his heart in pain. It was pounding out of control.

He squinted his eyes shut tightly in pain.

When he did, he didn't see blackness.

He saw high golden gates, stretching to the sky. The grass was pure gold and even the sky appeared gold.

Ganondorf opened his eyes again, groaning at the pain in his chest.

When his eyes shut again, he decided to start walking towards the gates. With each step he took, the pain in his chest became less and less apparent.

Through the gates, he saw a blur of many familiar faces. Everyone was dressed in pure white from head to toe, and they were smiling encouragingly at him. Of the faces he saw were late Gerudos, such as Katara and Kali, the king of Hyrule, people he'd met throughout his life, even his dear mother…but the two that stood out the most were Nalissa and Nabooru.

Nabooru had her arm around Nalissa, and she smiled brightly and waved at Ganondorf.

Ganondorf's eyes opened slightly, and he was back in his room at the fortress. At this point, he realized he was dying.

His heart gave one last violent beat before Ganondorf sighed his last breath, his spirit leaving his body and crossing into the Sacred Realm.

It was just then his spirit pushed through the gates, running to embrace Nabooru and Nalissa tightly.

And just as Ganondorf – the king of the Gerudos passed away – on the other side of the fortress in the medical wing…Natari had just given birth to a baby boy, Prince Gandon of the Gerudo.

And so the cycle of kings continued through the Dragmire bloodline.

THE END

**Author's Note: So there you have it…the alternate ending of "Buried In The Desert Sands". This is a much happier ending than the original, however it wouldn't fit in with the Zelda timeline. But I'm glad people requested this. I certainly enjoyed writing it.**

**Thank you to everybody for your continued support. These stories wouldn't exist without you guys. :) **

**~Green Eyed Gerudo**


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